Ankle and heel binder mechanism for skis



Sept. 25, 1956 GllCHl SHIMIZU 2,754,413

ANKLE AND HEEL. BINDER MECHANISM FOR SKIS Filed Feb. 18, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Gicbi Skim/i2 ATTORNEY p 25, 1956 GllCHl SHIMIZU ANKLE AND HEEL BINDER MECHANISM FOR SKIS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 18, 1954 A '/I {g v INVENTOR fliid/W 812M121 BY g I- f ATTORNEY Sept. 25, 1956 GllCHl SHIMIZU 2,764,418

ANKLE AND HEEL BINDER MECHANISM FOR SKIS Filed Feb. 18, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 BY gW ATTORNEY United States Patent O F ANKLE AND HEEL BINDER MECHANISM FOR SKIS Giic'hi Shimizu, Tokyo, Japan Application February 18, 1954, SerialNo. 411,238

4 Claims. (Cl. C]. 280 -1135) This invention relates to a binder designed to fasten a ski shoe to a ski.

The object of this invention is to provide a type of ski binder of sufficient strength, and simple construction, which can be quickly fastened or unfastened, allowing flexibility for the free movement of the leg during skiing and yet not endangering the skier, evenly distributing the strain exerted on the binder and the ski by taking advantage of various principles of. mechanics.

The present invention can best be illustrated by reference to the accompanying drawings in which! Figure 1 shows the ski binder made in accordance with my invention, being fitted over the ski shoe and ankle of the skier, the view shown being of the outer side of the leg.

Figure 2 shows the ski binder as it appears after being fitted over the ski shoe and ankle of a skier, the view shown being of the outer side of the leg.

Figure 3 shows the ski binder as it appears after being fitted over the ski shoe and ankle of a skier, the view shown being of the inner side of the leg. 7

Figure 4 shows that part of the ski binder which constitutes my invention.

Figure 5 shows the ski binder after the hold on the heel of the ski shoe has been released.

One of the problems to be solved in the designing of ski binders has been to provide a binder of simple construction, easy to manipulate in cold weather with gloved hands, providing suificient strength to hold the ski shoe on the ski regardless of what stress or strain might be applied to the ski. During skiing the foot of the skier acts like the fulcrum of a lever, various loads acting at various parts of the ski to create paral-lelograms of force which must be absorbed at the junction of the shoe and the ski. It is essential that the ski binder have the construction, strength, and flexibility to absorb these resultant forces wihout discomfort or danger to the skier, insuring that at all times the ski shall be fastened to the shoe.

Present ski binders fasten only at the heel of the'ski shoe by some kind of lever action placed either in front of the ski shoe or in back of the heel. They may also have some combination of ankle bands which are separate from the ski binder and require considerable adjustment and fastening. The present invention provides a ski binder whereby both the ankle and heel are fastened and controlled by the action of one lever and which properly distributes all forces created byloads acting on the ski by means of springs, leverage and counterforce so that no undue strain will be exerted against the ski shoe or leg of the skier and break the grip between the ski ,shoe, ski binder and ski, and allowing full flexibility for the actions of the skier.

Referring now to the drawing, wherein like characters .designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures, the central portion of a convention ski, indicated by the reference character 10, carries a ski boot sole holder consisting of a pair of brackets 11, 11a atfixed thereto .and projecting upwardly from the upper surface 'of the .ski, each being provided with a lip to overhang the upper edge of the sole of the ski boot. A grooved mounting Patented Sept. 25, 1956 "ice plate 12 designed to furnish the means interconnecting the ski and the ski binder assembly is afiixed to the ski at a point forward of the ski boot sole holder. A pair of hooks 13 and 13a are provided on the left and right edges, of the ski for receiving the heel binding component of the ski binder'and hooks 14 and 1411 are provided on the left and right side edges of the ski to locate the ankle leads of the ski binder in a manner later to be described. The hooks 13 and 13a are disposed at a point toward the forward edge of the sole of the ski boot and hooks 14 and 14a are disposed at a point approximately at the middle of the heel of the ski boot.

The ski binder 15 is coupled at its forward end to the grooved mounting plate 12 in the following manner. An upstanding tongue 16 formed integrally with an elongated plate 16a adapted to be received between the groovedefining lips 12a, 12b of the grooved mounting plate 12 pivotally supports a lock lever 17 by means of an overthrow link 17a which retains, when in locked position, the plate 16a in the groove-shaped mounting plate 12 and during locking of the lock lever draws the ski binder 15 forward and exerts tension thereon so as to firmly lock the ski boot in the toe holder 11, 11a.

Coil springs 18 and 19 are connected to the forward ends 21, 21" of a heel encircling binder loop 21 of spring cable which is trained under the'hooks 13, 13a and the coil springs extend to a common pivotal connection 20 on the lock lever 17. It will be apparent that tension will be applied through the coil springs 18 and 19 to the heel binder loop 21 when the lock lever 17 is rocked to horizontal locked position as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3. A tubular sleeve 21a surrounds the rearwardly extending bight of the heel binding loop 21 to clasp the heel or the heel groove and prevent slippage thereof. In the preferred embodiment this tubular sleeve 21a is made of rubber.

Clasp members 22 and 22a are affixed to the legs of the heel binding loop 21 rearwardly of the hooks 13, 13a and tothe ends of angular ankle leads or cables 23 and 23a formed of a material similar or identical to that of the heel binding loop 21. The angular ankle leads 23 and 23a are trained about the hooks 14, 14a and are bent at the hooks 14 and 14a to define forwardly inclined legs extending at an acute angle to leg portions projecting between the hooks 14, 14a and the clasps 22, 22a. The upper ends of the upwardly inclined leg portions of the ankle leads 23, 23a have threaded ends adapted to extend through complementary apertures in left and right ankle strap retaining rings 24 and 25. A back strap 26 is connected between the retaining rings 24 and 25 to extend around the upper end portion of the ski boot and an adjustable strap 27 is affixed to the retaining ring 25 and is provided with a hook 28 to removably connect the other end of the adjustable strap 27 to the retaining ring 24. The front strap 27 is provided With a buckle to permit adjustment of the strap length to the ski boot of the wearer. Adjustment nuts 30 and 30a are provided at the point of connection between the forward ends of the legs 21, 21" of the heel binding loop 21 with the coil springs 18 and 19 to permit adjustment of the tension on the heel binding loop 21 and the shoe size which the heel binding loop 21 will properly accommodate. Adjustment nuts 31 and 31a threaded onto the ends of the upwardly inclined legs of the left and right ankle leads 23 and 23a are also provided to enable the skier to adjust the ankle binding straps to firmly grip the ski boot and hold the same against the ski.

In coupling the ski binder to the ski boot, the sole of the boot is disposed against the upper surface of the ski with the boot located within the heel binding loop 21 when the lock lever 17 is in unlocked condition as illustrated in Figure 1 and the hook 28 of the adjustable strap 27 disconnected from the retaining ring 24. The ski boot is then slid forwardly along the upper ski surface between the sole holder 11, 11a until the toe portion of the ski boot sole is wedged within the conventional inwardly facing grooves of the sole holders 11, 11a. The lock lever 17 is then rotated rearwardly to the locked position illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 which, due to the pivotal relation between the lock lever 17 and the upright tongue 16, draws the forward ends 21, 21 of the heel binding loop 21 toward the mounting plate 12 to bring the tubular sleeve 21a surrounding the bight of the heel binding loop 21 into holding engagement with the ski boot heel. If the bight covering sleeve 21a is not in tight engagement with the heel groove or the recess above the heel, the heel binder can be adjusted to the desired degree of tightness by rotating the adjustment nuts 30, a. The hook 28 on the forward adjustable ankle strap 27 then coupled to the retaining ring 24 and the strap 27 adjusted to the desired tightness. The adjustment nuts 31, 31a are then rotated on the threaded ends of the upper inclined legs 23, 23 of the ankle leads 23, 23a While the ankle leads are trained about the hooks 14, 14a to adjust the vertical location of the straps 26 and 27.

Looking at the drawings and calculating the resultant forces which might be caused by loads exerted on the ski it can readily be seen that the disposition of the ankle fastening lead in combination with the retaining ring which is over the shin of the foot and held in place by the back strap and adjustable strap furnishes a powerful counterforce making possible the easy absorption of forces by the leg of the skier acting as a fulcrum and placing the momentum of all forces exerted by various loads on the ski at a convenient point on the ski best adapted to be absorbed by the skiers leg. The combination likewise permits the flexibility of movement needed by the skier.

When desired by the skier, the ankle fastening leads can easily be disengaged by the skier as shown in Figure 5.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a ski binder of the type having a heel pull cable loop and releasable means secured to the ski forwardly of the ski boot station for applying tension to said heel pull cable, a pair of ankle binding cables, one disposed at each side of the ski, said ankle binding cables being bent intermediate their ends to form acute angularly related leg portions, means connecting the end of one of said leg portions of each of said ankle binding cables to said cable loop forwardly of the rearmost portion of said loop, retaining means adapted to be secured to the sides of the ski for engaging the bend of said ankle binding cable and restraining the same against movement upwardly of the ski, a pair of retaining rings, means adjustably connecting one of said retaining rings for vertical adjustment on the other of said ankle cable legs, and

straps extending forwardly and rearwardly between said pair of retaining rings to encircle the ankle portion of a 'ski boot, the forwardmost one of said straps being adjustable.

I 2. In a ski binder of the type having a heel pull cable loop and releasable means secured to the ski forwardly of the ski boot station for applying tension to said heel pull cable, a pair of ankle binding cables, one disposed at each side of the ski, said ankle binding cables being bent intermediate their ends to form acute angularly related leg portions, one of said leg portions of each ankle binding cable forming a lower leg lying substantially in the plane of the ski and the other leg portion forming a forwardly inclined upper leg portion, means afiixing the ends of said lower leg portions of said ankle binding cables to the legs of said cable loop forwardly of the heel-engaging portion of the loop, means adapted to be secured to the ski at each side thereof for engaging the bend of said ankle binding cables and retaining the same against vertical movement, a retaining ring associated with each of said ankle binding cables, means adjustably mounting a retaining ring on the upper leg of each of said ankle bind- 4 ing cables for adjusting the vertical position of the retaining ring on the upper ankle binding cable leg, and a pair of straps extending between said retaining rings forming front and rear ankle binding straps toencircle the ankle portion of a ski boot, said forward strap being adjustable.

3. In a ski binder of the type having a heel pull cable loop and releasable means secured to the ski forwardly of the ski boot station for applying tension to said heel pull cable, a pair of ankle binding cables, one disposed at each side of the ski, said ankle binding cables being bent intermediate their ends to form acute angularly related leg portions, one of said leg portions of each ankle binding cable forming a lower leg lying substantially in the plane of the ski and the other leg portion forming a forwardly inclined upper leg portion, means aflixing the ends of said lower leg portions of said ankle binding cables to the legs of said cable loop forwardly of the heel-engaging portion of the loop, means adapted to be secured to the'ski at each side thereof for engaging the bend of said ankle binding cables and retaining the same against vertical movement, a retaining ring associated with each of said ankle binding cables, means adjustably mounting a retaining ring on the upper leg of each of said ankle binding cables for adjusting the vertical position of the retaining ring on the upper ankle binding cable leg, a rear ankle strap aifixed at each end to said retaining rings, and an adjustable front ankle strap afiixed at one end to one of said retaining rings and carrying a hook on the other end thereof for detachably connecting said front strap with the other of said retaining rings.

4. In a ski binder of the type having a heel pull cable loop and releasable means secured to the ski forwardly of the ski boot station for applying tension to said heel pull cable, a pair of ankle binding cables, one disposed at each side of the ski, said ankle binding cables being bent intermediate their ends to form acute angularly related leg portions, one of said leg portions of each ankle binding cable forming a lower leg lying substantially in the plane of the ski and the other leg portion forming a forwardly inclined upper leg portion having a threaded upper end, means affixing the ends of said lower leg portions of said ankle binding cables to the legs of said cable loop forwardly of the heel-engaging portion of the loop, means adapted to be secured to the ski at each side thereof for engaging the bend of said ankle binding cables and retaining the same against vertical movement, a pair of retaining rings each having an aperture through which is projected in the plane of the ring the threaded end of one of said ankle binding cables, a threaded nut on the threaded ends of said ankle binding cables and bearing against the inner surface of the ring for adjusting the position of the ring on the upper leg of each of said ankle binding cables, 21 rear ankle strap affixed at each end to said retaining rings, and an adjustable front ankle strap affixed at one end to one of said retaining rings and carrying a hook on the other end thereof for detachably connecting said front strap with the other of said retaining rings.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 703,828 Read July 1, 1902 1,359,391 Landymore et al. Nov. 16., 1920 2,216,662 Eigenheer Oct. 1, 1940 2,253,889 Carroll Aug. 26, 1941 2,259,701 Legros Oct. 21, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS 431,270 Italy Feb. 25, 1948 74,834 Norway Mar. 21, 1949 49,987 Sweden Aug. 31, 1921 55,051 Switzerland Jan. 18, 1912 248,233 Switzerland Jan. 3, 1948 255,443 Switzerland Feb. 1, 1949 

